I'm Alive!

Dear My Loyal Blog Followers: 

Although I have not updated my wonderful blog for some time, I still very much appreciate the daily support that you have all given me.

Let me get straight to the point, I am alive, I am in the middle of studying for mid-terms and finals, I am sick and (at this exact moment) I am sitting in evidence, not paying attention, because I have nose drool running down my face. 

Here are some quick updates:

My little prince, Dylan, is alive, happy and fat from his Thanksgiving feasts. I am happy to report Mr. Dylan only attacked three (3) Thanksgiving guests during the holidays and only had one "accident" on my roommates white couch. It pleases me to say that progress is definitely being made.

My angry older sister and her girlfriend Jon came home for the holidays! However, after only a week of constant chaos, they retreated back to their cave in N. Carolina.

My roommates are doing well. Tiffany, Roommate No. 2's alter ego, came out at the most appropriate times during the Thanksgiving weekend (especially when cosmos were involved). Roommate No. 1 has been too busy eating "Mochi Balls" to notice his wife has an alter ego.

Oprah has yet to RSVP to my law school graduation in May 2013 and I am still yet to receive my Life Class Journal.

Although Oprah's Life Class has been over for some time, I am enthusiastic that I will one day meet Oprah and receive my Life Class Journal. 

As for me... I have discovered a routine of bitterness that I have developed that rears its ugly head around this time of year due to the stress that I instill in myself preparing for my upcoming mid-terms and finals.

I have learned that I despise the Commerce Clause, am not interested in the Confrontation Clause, understand the Equal Protection Clause, dislike the entire Family Code and am angry with the whole concept of HEARSAY.

Until next time, here are some pictures summing up the last couple of weeks:

"Exhibit A"

(Monterrey Bay Aquarium With My Momma and Sister)

"Exhibit B"

(Turtle)

 "Exhibit C"

(Jelly)

 "Exhibit D"

(It has a face)

 "Exhibit E"

(Star)

 "Exhibit F"

(Angry Older Sister & I)

 "Exhibit G"

(Thanksgiving Dinner-Brothers!)

 "Exhibit H"

(Turkey)

  "Exhibit I"

(Ms. Nicole Marie and I After Thanksgiving Dinner/Wine)

  "Exhibit J"

(Santa Cruz Hike After Stuffing Myself With Turkey)

"Exhibit K"

(Princess Birthday Party)

"Exhibit L"

(Cinderella Surprised the Birthday Girl! 

I seemed to like her as much as the 3 year olds)

 There are so many more pictures, however, class is ending! Until next time my friends...

2011 California Bar Examination Results Are Revealed Today!

Today marks the day that people who took the California State Bar this past summer find out if they passed or not!

That means, in exactly 2 years, on this day, I will be at a bar, with all of my friends, family & random strangers, drinking until I find out whether or not I passed THE bar! I cannot wait!

Good luck to everyone that is waiting for their results! I will be thinking about you all day and sending good thoughts your way!

Since I have started law school...

I believe talking to myself is normal behavior. 

I laugh at jokes dealing with "Black Acre". 

I understand the Commerce Clause to be magical. 

I think politics is comparable to a bad relationship; Making a lot of promises you cannot actually, legally keep.

 

I have become a master at time management. 

 

The excuse, "I'm sorry; I was really busy" 100% doesn't fly with me.

 

Although I am busier than ever, I always believe I can take on more tasks.

 

I value my time spent at home.

 

I sometimes speak how I write, which is awkward when you are not in a professional setting. 

My whole family might be able to take the bar with me in 2013 because of how much I discuss law school with them.

I learned very early on that Law School has nothing to do with the law.

 

I get awkwardly excited when other students share learning secrets with me. 

I have mastered the art of graphing, turning a hypothetical into a full drawing, connecting dots that I didn't know existed and arguing points I have no interest in.

I have yet to, however, master a law school exam. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The Count Down Continues

In approximately 537 days I will be a Law School Graduate! 

 

Mood: Excitement! 

 

I have 172 days until I finish my third year. 

 

Mood: Determined!  

 

Only 24 days until third year mid-terms/finals...ahhh 

 

Mood: Sick feeling in my tummy. 

 

Just 14 days until my favorite Holiday-Thanksgiving! 

 

Mood: Hungry!

In 6 hours I have to have 100 pages worth of briefs completed for Evidence. 

Mood: Hmmmm... The amount is too large to have feelings regarding it.

So what have I learned by procrastinating the inevitable and creating these timelines of "stress" for myself? 

I have learned that Oprah has a good year and a half to RSVP to my invitation for her to attend my Law School Graduation in 2013, Turkey Dinner is so close I can taste it, I spend more time at the library than my own house and Evidence is brutal, but I still love it.  

Happy November Everyone!

Saturday, November 19, 2011, is National Adoption Day!

Saturday, November 19, 2011, is National Adoption Day! 

National Adoption Day is an annual event in which courts and communities in all fifty states come together to finalize thousands of adoptions of children and to celebrate all families that adopt. 

The goals of National Adoption Day are to enhance public awareness of the need for adoptive parents, to educate would-be parents about the adoptive process, and to celebrate the local families who have opened their lives to children in need of permanent homes.

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that there are over 408,000 foster care children in the United States, with over 107,000 of them waiting for adoption. 

Since 1987, the number of children in foster care has nearly doubled, and the average time a child remains in foster care has lengthened to over three years. Each year, approximately 28,000 children in foster care will age out of the system without ever being placed with a permanent family.  

Since 2000, more than 35,000 adoptions have been finalized nationwide on National Adoption Day.

I just read HERE that The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, in partnership with the Santa Clara County Department of Social Services, will be taking part in National Adoption Day!

"Although the official observance of National Adoption Day is Saturday, November 19, 2011, the Court has arranged to have its Adoption Day celebration during morning business hours on Friday, November 18, 2011 at the Downtown Courthouse, which is located at 191 N. 1st St., San Jose."

"Judges and staff have volunteered to forego their regular duties that morning in order to turn the Downtown Courthouse into "Adoption Central", as the Court hopes to finalize the placement of as many as 30 children into adoptive homes."

"The Adoption Day celebration will officially start with an Opening Ceremony at 8:30 A. M. in the Jury Assembly Room on the first floor of the Downtown Courthouse, and will feature remarks by Superior Court Judge Katherine Lucero (Supervising Judge of the Dependency Court), as well as speakers from the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children's Services (DFCS)."

"The Court has arranged for refreshments for the participants and activities to keep the children entertained while awaiting their adoption hearings."

"Special procedures have been set up to expedite the processing of paperwork and the movement of adoptive families to and from the courtrooms in order to finalize as many adoptions as possible by the event's conclusion at 11:00 A. M."

This makes me happy.

The Girl's Guide to Law School

Dear All Potential Law Students and First Year Law Students:

I just came across a super helpful blog that I wish I had found 2.5 years ago when I started law school! The Blog is called The Girl's Guide to Law School.

The "Girl’s Guide to Law School exists for one reason: to help you get what you want from your law school experience. This isn’t about some abstract version of “success.” It’s about figuring out what you want to achieve, and helping you get there".

 Enjoy! I hope this helps!

Love Rainy Days

I have been going, going, going for the entire month of October. I feel like my head has been spinning. 

Since being in Law School, I have learned a tough lesson: If you want to play hard, you have to work even harder.

Today is the first day I have been able to take a breather. I slept in. Had a good six hour study session. Ate some food left over from the fancy date my roommates took me on last night. Now Dylan and I are cuddled up in front of a fire watching Locked Up: Raw; Dylan's favorite T.V. show.

I love lazy days like this a lot. However, it makes me nervous sitting this still and my attention deficit disorder is acting up. This means it is time for a bottle glass of wine to help me concentrate!

Happy Saturday Punks!

Mayberry Workshop-Support Our Local Businesses!

Mayberry Workshop

One of the undisclosed rules in Law School is to get involved. Very involved. So other than working, studying, socializing, you must get involved with your school.

Every year our school puts on a clothing sale for our students, faculty, alumni and community. This year we decided to do something a little different. We were refereed to Mayberry Worshop, who is a Full-Service Design Workshop, ranging from Graphic Design and Branding, to Apparel, and Building and Urban Design. 

Perfect.

Now can they design law school apparel?? Answer: YES!

We have been working together for the past six weeks and it couldn't have gone any better. Plus, the two brothers that own Mayberry are hot, which didn't hurt the whole process.

Mayberry designed our school T-Shirts and Sweatshirts and they are a complete hit.

"Exhibit A"
(Mayberry Workshop's T-Shirt Design for Lincoln Law School)

To learn more about Mayberry Workshop check out their sites!

Website

Facebook

Law School is Scary

Last night I spoke at my Law School's Open House for the first time. 

Although I was excited to accept the invitation to be one of the pannelists, as I stepped in front of the crowd of potential law students I quickly remembered my slight fear of public speaking. 

However, after a nice pep talk with myself, I did great. 

One of the things that I spoke of was my fear of even entering into Law School. 

I told our guests that 3 1/2 years ago I was sitting in their spot (with my roommate) fearfully listening to the panel of speakers discuss what it is like being in law school, graduating law school and actually practicing law. 

Their schedules sounded like this:

Wake up before the sun rises, get ready for work, listen to law school cd's as they are getting ready for work, drive to work, as they drive to work, they listen to law school cd's, arrive at work, brief cases on their lunch break, get off of work, brief cases, arrive to school, participate in class, brief cases in class, leave school, drive home while listening to law school cd's, make dinner and read cases while eating dinner. 

Most of the panelists did the above routine with spouses, children, full-time jobs, etc. 

I remember walking out of the open house thinking that I would never get to that point. I constantly questioned whether I was willing to give up my life for that type of dedication or even if I could give it up. 

As I spoke to the potential law students last night, I realized that my life unintentionally became the life of the law student that my panelists 3 1/2 years ago so accurately described. 

Although I have made many sacrifices throughout this process, it never felt like I couldn't handle it. I just adjusted to my circumstances for the time being.  

Which means a couple of things to me: (1) When things need to get done, you will do them. (2) An overwhelming schedule will turn you into a master of time management. (3) The craziest things, like the schedule above, do not sound so crazy to me anymore. (4) You only really need a couple of hours a sleep a night. (5) I am no longer afraid of putting in a little time and effort toward something I want.

Law School Secret No. 352

Law School Secret No. 352: Vegas Can Smell Desperation.

As I got off of the plane on Saturday and walked into the Palazzo, I knew by the end of the trip Law School would be paid for. I thought to myself, maybe this blog isn't my last resort at a chance for success.

Wrong. Apparently there are others like me that travel to Vegas with the goal of becoming instantly rich.

Although I lost a few $$ in Vegas, I have again learned a valuable lesson and would like to share this new found knowledge with you.

One. Despite what you may have heard, your odds of winning in Vegas are apparently very slim.

Two. Regardless of how many times you create the image of winning in your head consistent with what you have learned from "The Secret", the universe will not align the slot machines in your favor.

Three. Vegas can smell desperation. I think I actually heard the slot machine laugh at me when I inserted my last 50 cents.

Four. Even if you are lucky enough to minimize your deficit, the excitement of Vegas will overcome you and you will likely miss your cue to walk away when you almost break even.

Five. When you owe your roommates rent money, do not go to Vegas. 

Six. When you are in Vegas, think about how lucky you are that you have amazing, wonderful, loving roommates that are waiting at home for you.

Seven. Vegas encourages family relationships; so some advice to all of the "roommates" that may be reading this: You should welcome your roommate home with love and support when they return from Vegas.

Even if they are slightly short on their rent payment for this month and next month, you should remember you love and admire your little curious Vegas roommate and enjoy their risk taking ability.

Eight. Always remember no matter what happens in Vegas, your roommate probably looked like this at one point:

"Exhibit A"

The Countdown Continues

In approximately 571 days, 13908 hours, 834531 minutes or 50071657 seconds, I will be a Law School Graduate!

Mood: Slightly Stressed because Ms. Winfrey has not responded to her invitation as of today's date.

I have 214 days, 5148 hours, 308927 minutes or 21095615 seconds until I finish my third year.

Mood: Anxious.

Only 62 days, 1597 hours, 95865 minutes or 5751928 seconds until third year mid-terms...ahhh.

Mood: Starting to get really Stressed. 

In 1 days, 32 hours, 1783 minutes or 106985 seconds I will be leaving my little devil, I mean prince, with my roommates and jet setting to Las Vegas to meet my momma for a Birthday Celebration.

Mood: Excited! Happy Birthday Mom!

Unfortunately, I will most likely be unable to update you on the status of Dylan's behavioral issues, my obsession admiration for Oprah, my daily sister put downs, my dad's struggles as a U.S. Citizen, my brother-in-law's fear of gnomes, my law school studies, my favorite things of the minute and my mood switching rants until I return on Monday.

Until then, if I do not make it home alive, it has been nice communicating with you.

I shall leave my shoes to Ms. NicoleMarie, my bed sheets and furniture to my roommates, all of my Law School stuff to my friend Rick, my wardrobe to my friends, my car to my neighbor Eddie and my little prince to my sister and brother-in-law. Everything else shall be divided equally among my family.

Disclaimer: Eddie- If you ever read this, you really don't get my car. I apologize for the confusion. I actually do not even have authority to "will" my car to anyone if that makes you feel better. I believe my roommates have proper title to all of my possessions....Except Dylan! And you can't have him either. He belongs to my beloved sister and brother-in-law. 

E.T. Go Home!

Who ever said this was a "great movie for the whole family" was a liar! 

Pursuant to Black's Law Dictionary, Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress is defined as the tort of causing another severe emotional distress through one's great negligent conduct.

Most court's will allow a plaintiff to recover damages for emotional distress if the defendant's conduct results in physical contact with the plaintiff or, when no contact occurs, if the plaintiff is in the zone of danger.

Emotional distress is defined as a highly unpleasant mental reaction (i.e. anguish, grief, fright, humiliation or fury) that results from another person's conduct.

The "Zone of Danger" is defined as the dangerous area created by the defendant's negligent conduct.

The making of E.T. was pure negligence: 

The creator's of E.T. owed a duty to little children everywhere. The risk that children would be scarred for life after watching this disturbing movie was 100% foreseeable. 

Further, it is in the best interest of society to protect our children and not have them be exposed to little scary creatures running around trying to use the phone before the age of 18. 

Because the creator's of E.T. had a duty to children everywhere,  they breached said duty by making a film about a little alien that was going to haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Since watching the scary, life changing movie, my sister and I have had to spend an excess amount of money on nightlights, flashlights, heightened electricity bills, therapy, etc. 

The watching of E.T. has disrupted our social life, my sister's married life and has had severe consequences on the completion of our brains fully forming. 

Because the breach of their duty was a substantial factor in causing us severe mental anguish and defendant's conduct resulted in the physical contact with our brain, the creator's of E.T. owe us the following damages:

***An apology for making the most disturbing, scariest movie ever***

However, I will settle this prior to trial if you get Oprah to come to my Law School Graduation in May 2013. Thank you much.

You Can Take the Bar Before You Graduate Law School??

Well not quite.

But, one of the 134,245,896,234 hoops that you must jump through to start practicing law is to take and pass the M.P.R.E. (Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination). The M.P.R.E. is a 60-question, two-hour-and-five-minute, multiple-choice examination administered three times each year.

During my second year I discovered that I can take the M.P.R.E while attending Law School.

This is how it works: California makes you jump through a bunch of different hoops to get this little card, which is called a "bar card". 

This "card" opens a world of opportunities, such as the following: money, access to information, food for Dylan, power, justice, freedom and so on.

The purpose of the M.P.R.E. is to move you one step closer to obtaining that "bar card" and, more specifically, to measure the test taker's knowledge and understanding of the established standards related to a lawyer's professional conduct. If you did not find my rendition helpful of what the M.P.R.E. is, CLICK HERE for more information.

To all my fellow law students, I took the M.P.R.E.'s last year- If you need some helpful hints/ links, LISTEN UP:

1. Register to take the exam HERE.

2. For a list of all the test dates and application deadlines, go HERE. 

3. For applications received on or before the regular receipt deadline, the fee for the MPRE is $63. For those who apply after the regular receipt deadline but before the late receipt deadline, the fee is $126. 

2. After you register, it's time to study! Read/study all of the ethical standards promulgated under the ABA codes of Professional Responsibility, Model Rules and Judicial Conduct. Do not forget to read/study the notes under the rules!

3. Take ALL of the practice exams. The National Conference of Bar Examiners provides a link to all of the past M.P.R.E. Exams and Answers. I love free study materials. FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR PAST M.P.R.E. EXAMS.

4. I like Flemmings. I listened to Flemmings CD's in my car to and from my house. Although I would not solely rely on Flemmings without putting in all of the above work, it was very helpful listening to his test taking tips and how to apply everything I just learned. I bought Flemmings off of Amazon HERE. Or you can buy the material direct from the Flemmings' Website HERE.

I hope this helps! Good Luck!

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." -Margaret Thatcher

Life reminds me of a big monkey pit sometimes.

Everyone is scrambling around, beating their chests, attempting to gain control of the audience, trying to prove that they deserve to be there more than you do and attempting to some how prove to you that they know more.

Every time this chest beating process happens, I literally imagine a bunch of monkeys running around and throwing the occasional poop at someone.

"Exhibit 1"

Quoting Margaret Thatcher, Oprah once recalled that, "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."This quote can be applied to so many different aspects of life.

"Prostitution Pays My Law School Loans"??

This website reports that "an attractive Indo-American woman who recently became a lawyer allegedly told police that she was involved in 'sex for money' but quit after passing her bar exam. 

Reema Bajaj was charged with prostitution after police say they discovered emails setting up trysts as part of an unrelated investigation. 

Bajaj allegedly admitted engaging in prostitution before she obtained her law license in November, but said she gave it up after becoming a lawyer, a prosecutor tells the newspaper. 

Bajaj has pleaded not guilty to the charges."

Wait... what?

Law School is a Scam? Perfect.

A Law Professor, who describes himself as "a tenured mid-career faculty member at a Tier One school", has stirred up some emotions on his blog, Inside the Law School Scam.

If Law School is a scam, then Dylan and I are screwed. Perfect.

Need Advice on How Not to Fail Out of Law School?

If you need some help, hints or fun facts about how to succeed in law school, LISTEN TO ME MONKEY!

Dear Dad

My dad kills me... 

Our family started an interesting Christmas tradition about two years ago. Every Christmas, the entire family as a whole will vote to see who has been the funniest family member for the past year. The winner will receive a crown, a lot of street cred. and the official title of the "Funniest Family Member of 20__". 

These competitions are no joke in my family. Throughout the year, there are email chains going around daily between all of us working hard to try and make everyone go into the choking laugh. 

(I know what you are thinking. How can you tell if someone on the other end of the computer went into a choking laugh? Well, that is a very good question. 

My family does "computer choking laughs". If you see symbols like: "klajlfjka"; "bahahahahha"; "#$*&(@(" or words such as "OMG I CAN'T BREATH" or "DYING" even the occasional respect of "You win." will demonstrate that there is a family member on the other end of the computer laughing so hard, they are most likely choking.)

Well... My dad won the award last year and became the official Funniest Family Member of 2010. There were a few major reasons he took this award from all of us who were diligently competing, however, I believe his every day antics gave him a landslide win. 

I have compiled some of his best work via email HERE (or you can click the "Dear Dad" Tab above).

Here is one of my favorites:  

Date: August 27, 2010

Re: Early Christmas Present?!

Me: "Hi Dad!!!!

I have an amazing opportunity for you!!!! My professor told the class about these pens and how it would be a great thing to get for law school.

As you take notes, it records the lecture, allows you to upload the notes to your computer, translates it into script  and comes with a pad of paper that records images of your notes and puts it into PDF form. Check it out!!!!"

Dad: "OMG!!!!!!!! I am so exited! And SHIPMENT IS FREE with Super Saver Shipping! Would you please buy it with my credit card so I can give it to you as a surprise?"

Me: "Dad...I'm going to have to think about this one. Ill let you know what I decide is best for the both of us. I will need some time."

Dad: "Christina, but it comes with gift wrap option, and it can be delivered by Monday August 30!, please…………………………………….."

Me: "Freddy, You need to be patient. I am at work and cannot focus on this right now. We will talk about it when I get home. It looks good in your favor though if that gives you some peace of mind! Love you, Stiny"

Dad: "Ok."

Dad: "And I love you too."

Or it could perhaps be because he did this: 

(My dad is on the left and my uncle is on the right... shhhh He's up for the award this year.)